quadr4
by Tarion
Summary: A young man had a great power. A young woman had a secret. And as for the rest of them, well, they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
1. The Dangers of Cutting Track Practice

A/N: This has been a work in progress for quite a while, and I'm kind of stuck in a rut with it. I thought maybe some feedback would help, so please take a minute and let me know what you think. By the way, this is not based on any particular RPG, but it reads so much like a script for one of those games sometimes that I figured this would be a good home for it.

Our story begins quite simply; on a pleasant day in March, in the courtyard of an average high school in the middle of an un-extraordinary town. But, be warned, we will not stay in this mundane setting for long.

For starters, the first character we will encounter, though he looks normal from his blonde, well-groomed hair to the tips of his K-Swiss sneakers, is actually quite a remarkable young man. This student is perched in the branches of an oak tree, with his knees drawn up close to his chest and a textbook resting on them. _Physics for Scientists and Engineers_, anyone who happened to look up would read. _Ah, what a bright boy, _this person whould think, or possibly, _what a nerd._ Either way, they would hardly give it a second thought.

But what if our hypothetical passerby knew this "bright boy" was actually researching magical artifacts? Truth be told, this boy ("Magis," we'll call him) wasn't the least bit interested in oscillatory motion. Cleverly concealed in the middle of his physics tome were some pages detailing the legendary orbs.

_"These orbs were said to be used by mages of old to give their powers a jumpstart. The holder would be able to cast spells many times as powerful as what they would otherwise be capable of. Additionally, lethargy and other side-effects of casting would not bother them nearly as much._

_Needless to say, these artifacts were extremely rare in the ancient world, and no one today knows of their whereabouts. The most well-known is perhaps the Orb of Thystamine, said to be located in one of the ancient temples of Greece. The orb was supposedly guarded by a monster so fearsome that locals insisted only a spirit would be able to get past it."_

Magis closed his eyes and allowed himself a brief fantasy of himself, having gotten his hands on one of these orbs and becoming the most powerful mage in the world. There was no denying the he had power as it was-- or perhaps "potential" was a better word. Magis had done very little spell-casting. His mother, who had recognized his gift and taught him what she knew, warned him incessantly of the dangers, and costs, of the craft. He was young, she would insist, and inexperienced. There would be plenty of time for casting. For now, he should build his power slowly and study.

So study he did. In secret, of course, since most people weren't sure how to react to magic that didn't involve a bespactacled boy shouting, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Of course, there were those he saw checking "magic" books out of the library, hoping to get revenge on someone. Quite frankly, Magis despised that kind of thing. Magic to him wasn't just a passing hobby; it was a way of life. He could only think of one or two others in the school, the town even, who might share his opinion.

Magis closed his eyes and his book. Enough of that. He felt like trying something practical. Last night he'd had a dream that really un-nerved him-- worse even, then the one where he'd found himself, for whatever reason, riding a unicycle through the halls between classes in nothing but Superman boxers. He remembered very few actual details from last night's dream, but the ominous feeling he'd gotten when he woke had stayed with him throughout the day.

So Magis was about to try a dream recall. If he was successful, he would find himself planted back in the world of his dream, able to examine the details at his leisure. Technically, this wouldn't use magic so much as deep meditation techniques. He'd have to block out everything going on around him, from the hackey-sack tournament to the lengthy discussion right below about the Legend of Zelda.

Magis took a deep breath, counted to three, held it, and let it out as he counted again. He ignored the voices in the courtyard, focusing instead on the lingering dream-feeling. He held tightly to those scraps of details he had, willing them to lead him back to where they came from. Magis's head tilted back, his legs slid a few inches down the treebranch, his hands went limp, releasing his reading material. Hopefully, the falling tome didn't injure any innocent bystanders, but at this point, Magis was too far gone to care. His body was in a sleep-like state; his mind, hurtling through time and space to where he'd been the night before.

_This was a wide, airy chamber ringed with pillars that stretched so high that Magis couldn't make out the ceiling. He could not for the life of him figure out what the walls were made of; his best guess was white marble, but it had such an odd sheen to it, almost a glow. The hall was very large, but very empty, and Magis sensed that he should feel quite honored to be standing here._

_But wait-- it wasn't quite empty. Though Magis would swear he'd been alone, here was an elderly man in front of him in ornately decorated robes. Magis could practically smell the magic emanating from this man. His face was lined with wisdom and experience, but his eyes were full of something else-- regret, maybe even fear._

_"I am sorry this task had to fall to you, my son," the man said gravely, his voice deep and velvety. "You are skilled, but I will not deceive you, it will be dangerous. I do not foresee all four of you returning to your respective homelands."_

_"I am ready, Elder." Magis found himself answering._

_"Then there is no time to waste," this 'Elder' replied, withdrawing something from the folds of his robes._

_Magis reached out to take it, felt his stomach lurch_

and with a jolt, fell out of his tree.

A curly-haired boy spun around to find the source of the noise and consequently received a hackey-sack to the back of his head.

Magis rolled over on his stomach and pushed himself up on his feet. His pride was injured more than anything else, and he couldn't wait to escape the odd stares of his fellow students. Grabbing his Physics book on the way past, he hurried into the building. He'd just have to find a less... precarious nook.

"...That was random." A girl who'd been sitting just a few feet away commented. Moments ago, she'd been immersed in a discussion with her friend Kade over the virtues of "Ocarina of Time" versus "Windwaker."

"That it was," he replied. "Weird kid. Was he sleeping up there?"

She shrugged. "Link's Awakening! That was another good one."

"Was that the one where Link dreamed himself up an island?"

Didn't these children have anything better to do with themselves besides discuss video games? Perhaps. By all accounts, they should have been at track practice, preparing for the upcoming meet. But this was the first nice day they'd seen in months... the pair couldn't bear to spend it doing something worthwhile. Instead, they'd opted to cut practice in favor of hanging around, lazing about, and generally being useless. This is considered bad behavior and is not encouraged in real life. Bad things will come of this choice before long.

"Speaking of dreams, I had a weird-ass one last night, Paris," said Kade to his female companion.

"Oh good, a dream story. I've got one for you, too." Paris answered.

Kade shifted positions so that he was lying flat on his back, staring up at the clear sky, and went into full story-telling mode. "Well, I was sitting on a big, friggin' wall or something, listening to someone talking... kinda looked like my grandfather. Then he made me run like hell 'cuz someone was coming..."

"Oh? Was it Coach MacNeil?"

"No. I think he had a hoodie or something... I couldn't see his face. Pretty creepy, actually. Creepier than Coach, I dare to say."

"A scary hooded guy, eh... continue."

"Now the thing my grandfather was trying to tell me, it was really trippy... something about ancient races, and six stones, and death...." Kade trailed off. He tipped his head back to see his friend. From this odd angle, he saw that Paris was now looking back at him with wide eyes, apparently comment-less. The courtyard was silent, except for the light strumming sounds coming from a young trubadour playing his acoustic guitar under a tree.

Awkward silences bothered Kade, as did his best friend looking so weirded out over a stupid dream. So, to snap her out of it, he concluded, "...and then... he told me about an excellent prank to pull on Madison."

Paris blinked. "But you decided it wasn't worth the suspension."

"Well...." Kade smiled winningly. "It really was an excellent prank."

The girl was torn between a) morbid curiousity as to what exactly the prank was b) chastising Kade for his deviousness or c) running NOW before Madison could descend on them in a fury.

At that moment, the doors leading to the courtyard were flung open and out came a very petite, yet very angry girl. Her eyes darted all over the place, finally coming to rest on a slightly guilty looking Asian boy.

"Wha... that's not Madison, that's her friend!" Paris hissed. "Did you mess with her, too?! Steal her spellbooks or something?!"

"Hell, no!" Kade protested. "She'd turn me into a frog or something. She's _scary._"

"KINO!!" The newcomer shreiked, striding towards them.

"RUN." Paris yanked her companion to his feet and dragged him a few steps toward the opposite door.

Looked like there would be time for track practice after all! The pair sprinted through the door, around a corner, and down a seemingly-endless corridor. Of course, Paris wasn't accustomed to running her events in clunky, heeled boots. It wasn't long before she was struggling to keep up with Kade. He glanced back, concerned for his friend. Just like the Army, Kade would leave no one behind. Time instead for Plan B.

"In here," he gasped, spotting a janitor's closet and holding the door open in a gentleman-ly fashion. Paris darted in, upsetting a few mops and "Caution: Wet Floor" signs in the process. Kade slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, laughter could take its place.

"Sage must share a locker with Madison," he choked out between giggles. "The look on her face...! She was so pissed."

Paris couldn't take it anymore. "What did you _do?_"

The boy's features twisted themselves into a devious grin. "It involved Superglue and a live ferret."

"Alright... that's all I want to know." Paris took a moment to be thankful that she'd never been on the receiving end of one of Kade's pranks. Still, she had no doubt that Madison, at least, deserved it. Paris couldn't remember exactly how the rivalry had started. Could it possibly be all because of the play during their freshman year - when Paris had beat Madison out for a part...? She supposed it was. Madison had used one of the school's deadliest weapons to take her revenge- the rumor mill. Kade had been sucked into that one as well. The whole thing had spiraled out of control from there... Now, neither side missed an oppurtunity to get back at the other.

So here they were, doing what anyone fighting for a cause would do: hiding from their adversaries in a broom closet. Paris didn't know what Sage or Madison would do if they managed to catch them, but when one is faced with an expression like what Sage had worn, one's instinct was to run. Fast. And far. No questions asked. Considering this, Paris slipped her boots off, tied the laces together, and held them in one hand. They weren't out of this yet and she didn't want anything slowing her down.

Kade had now regained most of his composure, though a slightly idiotic grin remained. He opened the door a crack and one dark eye peered out. Nothing, as far as he could tell. He slipped out of the janitor's closet, motioning Paris to follow him. A teacher chose this moment to exit his classroom, looking quite disturbed at the sight of two teenagers, flushed and panting, emerging from a closet.

"Won't be long before the late buses are here," Kade muttered. "We could go outside and make a quick escape."

"Let's go for it," Paris agreed, and kicked up their pace a notch.

Magis looked up as a school bus pulled up, roaring and snorting like the monster that guarded the Orb of Thystamine. As his attempts at magic had been a bit discouraging today, he'd consented to sitting on the steps behind the school and slogging throught a chapter on the Watergate scandal. Magis had been interrupted only briefly by one of his classmates asking if he'd seen an Asian boy in a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt or a brunette Pacific Sunwear poster girl come running out. The descriptions sounded like the two he'd seen in the courtyard, but Magis could honestly say he hadn't seen them since. He didn't envy those two at all. The inquirer looked like she was likely to yank out their ribcages to wear as hats if she ever found them.

And look-- here they were now. The aforementioned pair stole out of the building, looking around... probably for an escape vehicle. Magis wondered idly if he should warn them, but the decision quickly became un-necessary. The girl froze, noticing the tall, imposing figure with dark, wavy hair that now stood between her and the bus. Luckily, she had her back to them.

The Asian boy gave his friend a questioning look. In response, she pointed wildly, gestured, and mouthed something. Finally, he noticed the wavy-haired girl and comprehension dawned on his face. Magis grinned in spite of himself. This was actually somewhat entertaining.

The boy was now rushing over to the steps. "'Scuse me," he muttered, and Magis obligingly shifted over so he could climb up on the railing. From there, followed closely by the girl, he hoisted himself on top of a soda machine, then onto the overhang. Magis snorted. Sure, the pursuers would _never _notice them on the roof!

Paris clambered up on the rooftop, waving away Kade's offer of a helping hand. She wondered just what the _hell _her best friend had in mind, all the while following his every move. Both of them lay flat on their stomachs in order to avoid attracting attention. Now school security as well as Madison and Sage would be very interested in their position.

"I don't see Madison anymore..." Paris whispered.

"Yeah, I don't like that."

"This is stupid, Kade. Let's just get down." She started to get to her feet.

"No!" Kade grabbed her arm. "She's probably JUST around the corner or something. We'll walk across and go out a different way."

Paris shook her head. Sometimes she just couldn't figure out why she went along with this kid. Nevertheless, after a quick look to make sure the security car was nowhere in sight, they both stood up and turned around.

"You're going to pay for this one, Kino." Madison informed them.

Kade nearly fell off the roof in shock. "Wha-- how?!" he wondered.

Paris spun around and tried to backtrack, only to see Sage standing casually off to the side. "Gotcha, Marsik." she said with a leer. Damn, that girl was scary. Paris glanced down at the boots still in her hand, conscious of what a good weapon they would make.

"_Ferrets,_ Kino? Did you and your girlfriend really think you'd get away with it?" Madison demanded.

"You have no proof," Paris pointed out.

Madison turned to her and Paris felt that glare hit her full force. "Climbing on the roof to get away from us doesn't exactly scream innocence, Marsik," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I think ANYONE would run to get away from a face like that," Kade said helpfully.

Ten feet below, the very hairs on the back of Magis's neck stood up. He looked around sharply. His magic radar was going haywire, and with it, the gnawing feeling of dread he'd had when he'd awoken hit him like a sixteen-wheeler. What the bloody hell was happening?

Madison swung back around to face Kade and started to advance on him. But just what she planned to do, Paris would never know, because Sage sprang forward at that moment. Paris stepped back, thinking she was about to be attacked, but no-- Sage went straight for Madison, grabbed her arm, and dragged her away.

"What are you DOING?!" Madison demanded, apparently just as taken aback as Paris and Kade.

Sage muttered something that sounded like, "We have to leave," before the two disappeared behind one of the huge heating vents.

"I just don't get why they would run off like that," Paris said ten minutes later as she and Kade reached the other end of the building. "Madison could've pounded us both into the ground, no witnesses. When's she gonna get that opportunity again?"

Kade shrugged. "Sage thought of something more important to do?" Making sure the coast was clear, he started to lower himself to the ground with technique Peter Parker would approve of. "I'm telling you, that girl is WEIRD."

"I'm not arguing with you," Paris said, following close behind.

"Now we just need-- hello." This last was directed to a rather out-of-place looking hooded and cloaked man. At least, Kade assumed it was a man- the build was a bit too solid for the women he usually encountered. But what a strange guy... apart from the fact that he was dressed like a _Lord of the Rings _villain, looking at him gave Kade the sensation that he'd just drunk a bucket of ice cold water all in one gulp.

Speaking to mysterious figures in deserted areas isn't generally recommended, but Kade being Kade, he did it anyway. "Can we... help you?"

Nothing. Evidently he was the strong, silent type.

"He's looking for Sage," It was Paris who spoke and her voice shook a little.

Kade turned to his friend in surprise. "But how--?"

"Listen!" Paris's nice, healthy lifeguarding tan had disappeared, she was almost as white as Kade's new sneakers now. "Just stop thinking and listen."

Taken aback, Kade obediently shut his mouth and tried to wipe his mind clear. But thoughts kept popping in, unbidden. Who _was _this masked man? Un-nerving he was, but what about him had his usually gutsy friend so freaked out? What went into cafeteria food anyway?

And another thought, so sudden and forceful that Kade wasn't entirely sure it had come from his own mind... Sage. Where was she? What was she doing? Her very face seemed to swim before Kade's mind's eye. The boy opened his eyes to see Paris still looking at him. Catching her eye, he gave a silent nod. Strange though it may seem, he felt instinctively that the thought of Sage had come directly from the hooded figure's mind.

Thinking of nothing more than getting this being away from him, Kade raised a hand to point. "She went--"

Paris was at his side in seconds. "Wait!" she hissed, clamping a hand down on his arm. "I know we're not too fond of Sage, but... look at this guy. Who would want to be found by him?"

She certainly had a point. Sage was an odd one, but Kade was willing to bet this wasn't her usual ride home. The man's motives were probably a bit more... sinister. Kade enjoyed the occasional prank of course, but he wasn't a cruel boy by any means. He had no desire to see Sage in real danger. Maybe he could get a clue as to what this guy wanted.

"Um... are you family?" he asked cheerfully.

A suspenseful pause. The figure stood, as it had been for the past few minutes, perfectly still, perfectly silent.

Then Kade went flying off his feet.

Paris let out a small shreik, looking first to her friend, lying in a heap a couple of yards away, then to the hooded figure. It's robes fluttered slightly as if he'd just made a sharp movement.

Kade started to pick himself up, a little dazed but otherwise unharmed. "Apparently that was insulting..." he muttered to himself. "....Paris?!! NO!!!"

Paris didn't like to see her friends attacked. Re-discovering the boots she was carrying, she tightened her grip, whirled them around her head and charged the figure with something like a battle cry.

Kade wasn't exactly sure what happened next. Either the weapon went right through the figure's head as if it were no more than a holgram, he dodged the attacke with ridiculous speed, or he pulled a Samara and simply "blipped" himself out of harm's way. Whatever had happened, the figure was unhurt and Paris was left standing there looking just as confused as Kade was.

Again, the image of Sage plastered itself onto Kade's brain. It's hard to imagine a thought having _force_, but Kade reeled as if someone had physically thrust the picture into his head. Yes, this creature was looking for Sage and it wanted her NOW.

Moments later, Kade felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was as if a rather large hook was embedded under his breastbone and someone had given it a yank. Another pain; the yank was longer and harder this time. The boy pressed his hand to his chest in alarm-- was he having a heart attack at sixteen?! A third yank came, agonizing this time, Kade opened his mouth to scream but found he'd come down with a sudden case of laryngitis. He felt that something was actually being torn from his very body, cruelly, mercilessly, through his haze of pain, he saw that Paris was going through the same thing, but God, he couldn't help her, he couldn't move, he was on the ground, writhing, helpless and trying pointlessly to hold back what was being ripped away...

And suddenly the pain was gone. Kade could feel nothing, absolutely nothing. Not the breeze in his hair, not the clothes on his back, not the ground under his feet. Possibly this last was because there _was_ no ground under his feet... when Kade looked around he realized he was floating? a good two feet off the asphalt. _Am I dead?_ he wondered.

And when he looked below he was absolutely certain.

Kade was floating above the pavement, but he was also lying on it... Curled up in a ball, his eyes screwed shut in an expression of agony, and perfectly still. There he was... jet black hair, Hard Rock t-shirt, faded jeans (_genuinely _faded, he was proud to say, not the "pre-faded" nonsense the designer brands made.) That was Kade below, unmistakably. Then what was _he,_ the Kade who hovered up here, observing?!

He looked across at Paris. She was at eye-level. Yes, there was Paris above an unconcious Paris, and the Paris above was looking back at him in horror and bewilderment. He complexion was no longer chalk-white, Kade noted. In fact he could see _through _Paris's head to the building beyond. Her whole body was like that, translucent and pearly white. Kade knew before he even looked down that his body was the same.

Kade wasn't into drugs and his dreams were rarely this vivid. Maybe his guilt over cutting practice was causing him to hallucinate?

"We have to find Sage," Paris whispered, and her voice now had an _unreal _quality to it to match her trippy body.

Kade had been too busy with his own thoughts to notice what the hooded figure was sending his way. But sure enough, once he'd taken a deep breath (his lungs didn't fill with air like he'd expected them to) to clear his head, Sage's face was still there. Something else as well- Kade knew as if he'd heard it spoken aloud that unless they found the girl soon, they couldn't hope to ever feel their hearts beat again.

The hooded figure was still standing there, motionless, showing no sign that it had just ripped two spirits from their bodies. Kade was suddenly filled with rage-- how dare this thing rob him of his life like that?! What a cheap shot!!-- he wanted to attack it, even scream at it if that was all he could do- but in the blink of an eye (though Kade didn't need to blink) the unearthly creature was gone.

Kade let out a yell of frustration. "What the fuck is going on?! I'M DEAD!!!"

"We're not dead, Kade!" Paris said in alarm, drifting over to her friend and trying to comfort him with a hand on his shoulder. It slipped right through. "Look, all we have to do is find Sage, and everything'll be fine!"

"I don't CARE what we have to do!!" Kade roared. "This isn't NATURAL, Paris! How can you be CALM?! My BODY is on the ground BELOW ME!!! And so is YOURS!"

"Kade. Calm down." Paris said, struggling to be rational. "The last thing we need is for someone to come around the corner and see us... and us," she added with a downward glance. "I know it's not natural, but it happened. We have to deal with it, just like anything else."

Kade knew Paris had a point, but he was still determined to be angry. "This isn't right. People don't come along and rip other people out of their bodies." He swore again. "What _was_ that thing, anyway?"

"A Keltra."

Both Paris and Kade froze. Just as Paris had been dreading, a student came around the corner and took in this strangest of scenes. Odd thing was, he didn't seem at all fazed. His curiousity had sent him charging in this direction minutes ago, and he'd taken in everything since Paris's attack on the hooded creature.

"A... what?" Paris said, completely puzzled.

"Hey... you're the guy who fell out the tree before." observed Kade.

Magis, for indeed it was he, blinked. This kid had just become a ghost and he could still think of stupid things like that? He decided to ignore him. "Appears as a cloaked man... communicates telepathically... amazing magical powers... pretty ruthless, too," he added, eyeing the seemingly dead bodies. "Yeah. Definitely a Keltra." Although Magis sounded like he was explaining a perfectly simple geometry theorum, he had been as shocked as Paris and Kade at first. Of course, Magis had been around the supernatural all his life and it didn't take long for him to remember the legends of the Keltra and make the connection. Yes, seeing one in the flesh... so to speak... was a new experience, but Magis liked to appear in control of the situation.

"And you're completely okay with this, " Kade asked flatly.

"Well, it's not exactly normal." Magis admitted. "But it seems to me the best thing to do is give it what it wants and be done with it. Like your friend said."

But Paris now looked troubled. "It doesn't feel right... just handing Sage over to a thing like that."

"What choice do you have?" Magis asked impatiently. "You saw how powerful it was. It'll get what it wants eventually. And I'm _assuming _you'd rather not stay like that forever."

"Damn straight. But what do _you _have to do with all this anyway?" Kade said suspiciously.

Magis shrugged. "I came. I saw. And I'm trying to give you some advice. I know a little more about this kind of thing than you."

"You mean magic?" Kade snorted.

"Yes," Magis said evenly. "And an hour ago you'd have called me crazy. I think you have before, actually. But now you've seen it for yourself."

"Well, if you know magic, you can put us back!"

"Did you hear what I said about the Keltra's powers?!" he scoffed. "You think any random mage can do that? I couldn't hope to." Magis shook his head. "Unless..." His thoughts were going back to the orbs he'd read about earlier. Something about that had been nagging at him since he'd come...

"Unless what?" Paris prompted.

Magis turned to the other spirit. Spirit? That was it! The Orb of Thystamine... _Only a spirit could hope to get it... _"Unless you do something for me." There was a slightly manic gleam in his eye as he pulled out the information he needed. He started to hand the pages to Paris, then realized she wouldn't be able to take hold of them. Instead, he held them up for her to read.

Kade drifted closer to look over Paris's shoulder. "Thystamine? Doesn't that make you itch?"

Magis chose to ignore this.

"You want us to go get this thing?" Paris said.

"Sure. You're spirits. It's not like you have anything to lose. And once I have the Orb, I'll be able to... put you back. No more dealing with the Keltra. No more dealing with Sage. Everyone's happy."

Kade was still browsing the pages with a doubtful look on his face.

"What?" Magis demanded. "After everything you've seen, you don't think a little thing like _this _is possible?"

"C'mon, Kade." Paris sighed. "Let's just try. It's not like anything can make this _worse."_

He nodded reluctantly and started to offer a hand to shake before realizing it wouldn't do any good. He just hoped this would turn out better than the last "deal" he'd made.


	2. Witch Hunt

"Here's where you're going." Magis rifled through his handful of papers and pulled out a sketch. It showed a magnificent Greek temple at the height of its glory.

"Where's that?" Kade impulsively tried to grab the page for a closer look, but since his flesh and blood were lying on the pavement a few feet away, his spirit-hand went right through the paper.

Magis smirked. This guy didn't learn too quickly, did he? "It's in Greece."

"Oh... are they letting ghosts through airport security these days?"

"You're spirits. You don't have to worry about that kind of thing." Magis said, addressing Paris. Clearly she was the brains of the outfit.

"...do they make you check them with your luggage? Because I'll admit, I've always wanted to ride on those conveyer belt-things..."

"Kade, give it a rest." Paris said. She never thought she'd see two personalities that clashed worse than hers and Madison's, but this pair had them beat. She turned to the wizard expectantly.

He cleared his throat. "Since you're spirits... you're not bound to the physical plane of the earth anymore. Basically, you can go wherever you want. Try it," he suggested. "Wish yourselves somewhere... like up on the roof."

"NO," Kade protested vehemently. "That's how this all started. Running around on the roof."

"Yeah, I'd like to avoid the roof." Paris agreed.

"Okay... around the corner, then."

Paris pictured herself standing, uh, hovering around the corner Magis had indicated. Remembering what he'd said about not being bound to a plane, she instead thought of herself floating free, able to go wherever she willed. Specifically, around that corner.

Kade's jaw nearly hit the floor as it had so many times that evening. Magis grinned-- he couldn't help it. That was cool. The girl's form had just blinked out and re-appeared a few yards off. Quickly the grin twisted itself into a smirk. "Having trouble? Just picture yourself around the corner." Or in hell, he added silently.

"I'm fine." Kade growled, his eyes squeezed shut. Still nothing happened.

"Hm. Do you have ADD? I bet you had trouble understanding the Keltra too, right?"

The dark-haired boy replied by disappearing.

"What do you know," Magis said to himself.

"Hey, it worked!" Kade said triumphantly as he and Paris drifted back over. "All I had to do was imagine getting away from you."

The boys glared at each other. "Come on, children." Paris sighed. "So, we just whisk ourselves to this temple place?"

"Yeah. Just make sure you're concentrating real hard. Then... you'll just float through the temple until you find the Orb. That's all. I'll have you back in bodies in no time."

"Have you done this before?" Kade questioned.

"Of course not. But... I imagine it won't be any harder than that," he finished lamely.

"Alright, let's give it a shot," Paris said. "Hey..." she turned back to Magis. "After all that, I don't think we even got your name."

"Oh..." Magis blinked. She was right. How quickly we forget our manners when there are supernatural creatures to deal with. "Magis."

"I'm Paris," she smiled. "And this is Kade."

Kade did not smile.

"Well... good luck, Paris and Kade. Take a good look around here... it'll probably help you get back."

After studying her surroundings, Paris disappeared again, followed shortly by Kade. Magis could only hope they ended up in the right place. Then again, it wasn't as though they could get hurt. He vaguely wondered if he should hide the bodies before they created a panic.

Paris was fairly certain she wasn't anywhere near the school anymore, but that was all she was certain of. It was dark. Really dark. Most people haven't experienced total, complete darkness before... there's always something; light from a crack in the door, the glow of someone's watch. Here there was nothing. Paris might be blind for all she knew.

But then... she reflected, if she really had made it to somewhere in an ancient temple, the darkness would make sense. These would be in ruins by now, Magis had pointed out. Even when the temple was in use, it had been shelter to a ridiculously powerful object. It wouldn't exactly be in a heavily-trafficked area. Point was, the inside of this building couldn't have seen so much as a spark in centuries.

Then again, there was no reason to believe she was inside of a temple. Paris's sense of touch as well as sight was gone. She had no way of knowing if what she was standing on was made of rock, earth, or Jell-O. She could wave her arms around, but how to tell if she hit anything? It was all the same to her. Boy, did she take her fingers for granted sometimes.

The girl sighed in frustration. Part of her wanted to blame the wizard, but the truth was that none of them had thought this through too well.

"Paris...?" At least she could still hear.

"I'm here, Kade."

"It's really dark."

"Yes it is, Kade."

"How the hell are we supposed to see an Orb?"

"I have no clue..." Magis had made this sound so simple.

"We've gotta go back... there's nothing to do here, wherever this is. I knew that kid was full of shit."

"And do what? We'd be back dealing with Sage and everything... I don't want any part in that."

"Neither do I, but what's the alternative? Unless the Orb is gonna come when we call it..."

"Listen, don't you think of a magical orb as a pretty, glowing thing?" Paris couldn't believe she'd just uttered that sentence. "Maybe if we... wish ourselves or whatever, to the Orb itself we'll be able to see it?"

Kade grimaced. "I hate messing with that. I think I have trust issues... how do I know for sure I'll end up where I want to...?"

"Let's just try it, okay? If it doesn't work, just think about the school again." How hard to sound reassuring when you can't see the person you're speaking to.

"Fine..." Trying to lighten the mood, Kade continued, "Then again, the whole not being tied to a physical plane thing is pretty handy. Think about it, Paris! We could go anywhere! Screw the school for a few hours, let's go to Vegas! I've always wanted to try a slot machine!"

"And how would you pull the lever?" Paris asked.

"...Oh."

"C'mon, Kade." Focusing her thoughts on a small, cute glass ball emitting a soft glow, Paris vanished.

And re-appeared in another chamber, small and un-extraordinary except for a pedestal in the center holding a cute glass ball emitting a soft glow.

"Hey," Kade said from behind her. "You were right... You're good at this magis thing. But Paris, I just realized when you said that about the slot machines..."

"Yeah?" Paris prompted, drifting up to the Orb.

"...How are we gonna pick it up?"

She turned to look at him, the triumphant glint in her eyes snuffed out. "...Crap."

"Damn," Kade agreed.

But before the pair could delve into another bout of frustration and despair, a sound was heard from the next chamber. Yes, a sound. More specifically, a sharp, crunching sound, as if someone had stepped on something, well... crunchy.

Paris's and Kade's eyes locked now that they could see each other. What the hell was still kicking in here to make noise!

"...Shall we check it out?" Kade suggested.

"We're ghosts, right? Nothing that can hurt us..."

Nodding in agreement, the two floated over to and through the pair of ornate, ceremonial looking doors. With the Orb's glow behind them, there was nothing to greet them in the new chamber but more absolute darkness.

Suddenly, a flame shot out of the darkness, illuminating the face of

"Sage!" Paris said incredulously.

"Paris!" the girl replied, as if she often ran into her classmates in Greek temples.

Kade felt as though his face would be frozen in an expression of permanent disbelief-- or would it? It wasn't as though he had muscles to speak of. He didn't even bother spluttering in surprise anymore. It was easier to just sit back and wait for an explanation.

"I thought I'd find you two here," Sage said, sounding almost relieved.

"'Cuz where else would we hang out after school?... Wait... Madison isn't here, is she?" Kade glanced around uneasily.

"Of course not."

"So, uh..." Paris said, after sensing that Sage wasn't about to explain anything. "How did you get here?"

"I have my ways," she replied mysteriously. "Magis isn't the only one who knows what he's doing."

As if to prove her point, Sage turned her fingers around the small flame that was their source of illumination. It seemed to feed on nothing but the air around it. As Sage twitched her fingers, pulling on invisible strings as if to coax the flame to spread itself out, the light grew until Sage was holding a fair-sized fireball. Kade watched, impressed in spite of his general frustration with all things magical. He was willing to bet Magis couldn't do anything this cool.

Now Paris could see that this chamber was much larger than the one she'd just been in with Kade. The newly-grown fire only lit up a small part of it-- it was easy to see the ceiling rose much higher and the walls continued around to form a huge circle.

Sage, evidently satisfied with the size of her fireball, crossed to the wall, picked up an ancient torch, and lit it. "That's enough light," she said to herself, replacing the torch in its bracket.

"No more magic?" Kade asked.

The witch shook her head. "I need to save my energy."

"For what...?"

"What was that you stepped on when you came in, Sage?" Paris swooped over to where the girl had appeared. "It sounded-- oh. OH, MY GOD."

"Hm?" Sage wandered over.

"Mother of PEARL," Kade was at Paris's side in a second. "That's a FREAKIN' skeleton."

"Oh, yes. There are several in here... you didn't notice?"

Kade turned and shot Paris a "What is wrong with this girl?" Look. Paris was still staring down at the skeleton. She knew, what with the gaping eye-holes and everything, skeletons usually didn't look too peaceful... but something gave her the feeling this person had had a violent death. Maybe it was the short sword it still clutched. Or maybe it was the fact that the bony digits of the other hand were dangling inside the rib cage. All in all, it seemed to be still writhing in pain.

"How did they die?" Paris asked softly.

"You mean you didn't meet the temple mascot yet, either?" Sage chuckled. "You two didn't do a very thorough job of exploring."

"We're not here to explore." Kade said, anger getting the better of him yet again. Why were all mages so obnoxious! "We're getting the orb-thing so we can get out of here and GET OUR BODIES BACK."

"I figured as much."

"Temple mascot?" Paris questioned, more concerned about what else the temple was hiding.

Sage moved off into the shadows, beckoning Paris to follow. The other girl was a bit apprehensive until she remembered she was a ghost-- amazing how easy that fact was to forget. Surely she wasn't going to meet the same fate as those poor Greeks. Besides- if Sage wasn't afraid, she sure as hell wasn't going to be.

Paris could make out a hulking shape now... and now that she was concentration on it; a deep, slow, steady sound... almost like... breathing!

"That thing's still alive?" she exclaimed.

"Why not? This temple is soaked with magic- it has a way of preserving things." Sage said. "Notice how all those bodies still have most of their armor. The guardian's been asleep for centuries and centuries."

"Bet it'll be hungry when it wakes up." Kade noted. Sage let out an odd sort of chuckle.

"It won't be waking up," Paris said with a shudder. "What is it, anyway? I think I see wings... a dragon?"

"Not a dragon." Sage scoffed. "So un-original. It's a manticore."

"Manti--?"

"Man's head, lion's body, scorpion's tail. Quite dangerous."

"You don't say," Paris commented, deciding she's seen just about enough of this creature.

"Well, I learned something new today," Kade began, also drifting away from the beast. "Several, actually. Way more than I ever wanted to know about wizards, 'smatter of fact. I really don't need to hear about their pets. So. Last time I saw you, Sage, you weren't even too happy with us. Now we're buddies enough for you to come down to Greece with us and chill in the temple? What's the deal? What are you doing here, Sage?"

"Relax, Kade." she replied with a laugh. "I want to help you."

"But-- ferrets--"

Sage burst out laughing. Paris blinked. That was the biggest display of emotion she'd ever seen from this girl. "You really think I'm still concerned about a prank! Come on... don't you think we all have more important things to worry about? You two are ghosts... I'm trying to get away from the Keltra."

"What do they want with you, anyway?" Paris asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm not sure..." Was that a glint of fear in Sage's eye? "All I know is that the Keltra are purest evil. I won't stop at anything to escape from them."

"You still didn't answer my question." Kade pointed out.

"What am I doing here?" I needed to talk to you... to make a deal."

"NO DEALS." said Paris and Kade in unison.

"You don't even have to do anything!" Sage said, a little taken aback. "Just listen... the Keltra are around because of me. It's all my fault this happened to you." She took a deep breath. Paris figured it was hard for her to project such kindness at her former enemies. "I want to help you."

"Yeah? Like, compensation...?" Kade considered this. "Sure, I guess a few hundred wouldn't be uncalled for."

Sage stared at him. "I was going to give your bodies back."

"Magis is doing that," Paris put in.

"When you bring him the Orb, right? Which you're going to take to him, how?" Seeing she had them there, Sage continued. "Like I said, it's because of me that you're here. It's the least I can do. You don't even know for sure that Magis would be able to pull it off."

"And you can?" Paris said.

Sage gave her a smug smile. "Check over in that corner."

Paris and Kade looked at each other and shrugged. As they floated to the indicated corner, Sage bearing the torch behind them, Kade muttered, "Funny how everyone is falling all over themselves to help us."

"Think it'll continue when we're humans again?" Paris returned with a wry smile.

"There." Sage held the torch up.

Paris looked. Another pair of corpses... more unfortunate Greeks, no doubt. But wait-- these bodies still had _skin. _And hair. And all of their clothing... modern clothing, no less.

"Holy crap. It's us." Kade concluded.

"How...?" Paris said in wonder.

"I summoned them here. Still think I can't pull it off?" Sage smirked.

Kade gave her a big grin. "She's got a point. Dude's probably too incompetent for this, anyway. Come on, Paris. Let Sage do the mojo."

Paris snickered. The thought of having her feet touch the ground again was making her giddy. "Why not. Something for nothing? That's the best deal I've heard about all day."

"Excellent." Sage looked oddly triumphant.

Paris closed her eyes while Sage started in on the chanting and hand motions. Her ghosthood had lasted only an hour or two, but she couldn't wait to be 'alive' again. To be a participant in the land of the living, not just a spectator. Or a _specter. _Hah. To feel ground under her feet, breath in her lungs, a heartbeat in her chest.

The hard ground under her head. The cold, damp air in the ancient temple. The queasy feeling in her stomach-- apparently her body didn't appreciate being "summoned" across a few continents. But so what-- she was a _real girl. _

But there were strings attached.

"So I guess our business here is done." Sage said.

"Yeah, thanks." Paris picked herself up off the ground, stumbling a bit as if she'd just gotten off a boat. "So... are you taking us back to the school or what...?"

"Taking you back?" Sage said, that odd smile lighting her features again. "That wasn't part of our deal. I never said anything about taking you back, Marsik."

"You're going to _leave _us here!" Kade said in disbelief. _Never _trust witches. _Never. _He started at her, all inhibition against hitting girls going right out the proverbial window. He was going to choke a mode of transportation out of that witch with his brand new flesh-and-blood fingers.

"I have no choice," Sage said coldly, backing away. "It's unfortunate, it really is. But I told you... I'll stop at _nothing _to escape from the Keltra. They will not leave you alone. They'll keep using you to track me down... I just can't have that."

Kade stopped walking. Had Sage noticed she was backing right into the monster? _Please let it eat her..._ he thought. _But wait... we'd still have no way home. Damn._

The witch sat down on the floor next to the beast, and started stroking its oversized man's head as if it were the family dog.

"That. Is. So. Creepy." Paris managed.

"Don't worry..." Sage purred, running a hand through the beast's hair... or was it fur? Its eyes opened groggily, probably responding to the smell of human flesh so close by. So close... who was this foolish mortal who dared interrupt its sleep? Oh well... it would have a quick snack before going back to bed.

"You have the manticore to keep you company." One last truly evil smile and Sage vanished.

The manticore turned its gaze on the remaining teenagers.

The beast had been frightening enough asleep, but now, awake and alert, it was the stuff nightmares were made of. The body of a full grown lion, muscles rippling under its sleek coat, and the tail, instead of being topped with a cute little tuft of fur, looked more like something one would find on a scorpion. It curved around so that the tip hovered over the monster's head; a tip which fairly dripped with poison that couldn't be anything but lethal. To top everything off, the manticore's face was that of a human: huge, misshapen and grotesque, yes, but still a human face.

Kade seemed to be having trouble breathing... they'd gotten their bodies back just in time to enjoy a nice, painful death. Probably slow, too... he figured this beast would enjoy playing with its food, just like an overgrown cat.

Indeed, the manticore was taking its time. It allowed itself a cat-like stretch, extending a set of impressive claws as it did so, and a yawn. That done, it turned its full attention to Paris and Kade. It took a few steps toward them with paws that looked like they should shake the earth.

Kade took a few steps backward, shoving Paris behind him as he did so. His plan was to bleed profusely as he died and maybe ruin the nice Greek tiles.

Paris almost smiled-- it was kind of cute how Kade was trying to be chivalrous. "I can't believe Sage would do this," she muttered.

Sage. Yes, this was all her fault. What with all the heart-wrenching terror, he'd forgotten his rage. But it was back now, a blazing white streak that made his temples pound. Trying to kill him for getting involved in something he'd wanted no part in... oh, he would show her.

Kade promptly tripped and fell backwards. He let out a yelp, noting that his downfall was a twisted skeleton.

"You wanna be nicer to those skeletons, Kade... we might be spending a lot of time with them." Paris said darkly.

"Not if I can help it." Kade saw what he needed-- this corpse was still gripping a sword. Thank God for those, what was it? _Powers of preservation. _"Ah. May I borrow this?" Without waiting for an answer, Kade pried the weapon out of the skeleton's hand. He then stood and faced the manticore.

Paris blinked. Kade was going to try to fight this thing off! Well... it was probably better than a lengthy game of cat-and-mouse. She wasn't about to stand around and play the damsel while Kade did the fighting, so she also bent over the nearest skeleton and picked up its long sword.

Then dropped it. Nothing doing-- it was way too heavy and awkward for her. She looked the skeleton over– maybe it had something smaller? All Paris found was a strip of leather with a pocket. A sling? Well... it wasn't sharp and pointy but it just might work. Seeing that the manticore was focused on the more apparent danger-- Kade with a pointy object-- Paris dashed around to flank the beast.

Kade gripped his new toy with both hands. No, he hadn't the faintest idea how to use a sword. His hope was to swing it and hit some vital area. All Kade knew was that he had to get out of this temple so he could get to Sage. If that meant killing this thing, then so be it.

The manticore quickly closed the rest of the distance between itself and the boy, its tail arched dangerously over its head. Kade held his ground, timed as best he could, and swung--

Nothing. He gave the beast a bad haircut, but nothing more.

Paris, meanwhile was in a familiar situation: getting her best friend out of trouble. Of course... "trouble" usually involved a detention slip, not a large, salivating beast... but still. She whirled the loaded sling around with a skill borne of a couple of track practices spent with the throwers.

Her aim was true-- the rock struck the manticore right in the back of its head. Not enough to wound it; just enough to distract it.

Kade breathed again. He straightened up just as the beast whipped around to face Paris. The scorpion tail whipped around also. Kade got his sword up just in time for the tail to meet it-- and slice cleanly in two.

The manticore let out a howl of pain and rage. It struck out with a paw in retaliation. Paris dived, but the claws grazed her side even so.

Kade looked in wonder at the piece of tail jerking and twitching on the ground before him. He didn't know how hurt the beast was, but at least they'd gotten rid of a weapon. No time for thinking, though-- the manticore was fully awake now and twice as angry. It was pursuing Paris, and she wouldn't last long.

Paris caught Kade's eye just as she ducked around a pillar. "Kade! The tail!" she managed.

He obligingly picked up the scorpion tail. His hands were immediately covered in venom and he prayed he didn't have any open cuts. What would Paris want with a great poisonous blade...?

Oh.

Paris and the manticore were playing hide-and-seek. Knowing he wouldn't get a better opportunity, Kade gritted his teeth and rushed the monster. Taking a great adrenaline-charged leap, Kade managed to grab a fistful of hair. The beast reared, but there wasn't much he could do. Clinging desperately, Kade plunged the tail into what he hoped was the beast's jugular.

Evidently, the guess was a good one, because the manticore gave another howl, higher this time as if in pain. Kade let go, fell to the ground, and tried to avoid being trampled. The poison worked quickly-- within a minute, the temple guardian was on the ground giving a few last twitches.

Kade sat down hard. He felt they'd won a big victory-- against the manticore, obviously, but also against magic in general. Hell, they'd been screwed with all day and they'd finally gotten a little payback.

Paris was coming towards him, looking drained but happy. "God, Kade... you're a mess!" she observed.

Kade looked down at himself. It was true, he was covered in blood, most of it the manticore's, and leftover venom. "C'mere, you," he said, crossing to his friend with a mischievous glint in his eye. He then flung his arms around Paris, squeezed her tight, and ran his venom-covered fingers through her hair.

Paris squealed and pushed him away.

"Aw, c'mon..." Kade said, still laughing. "You look good in blood."

She made a face and flung the leather sling at him. "I'd love to have a blood-fight and all, but can it wait 'til we get home?"

At this, Kade's face fell. "How? We have no wizards and we can't _whoosh _anymore... Are we gonna walk?"

Paris looked thoughtful. "We have no clue how to get to a town... even then, we'd be stuck there for weeks. I thought we'd try the Orb."

"But we're not magical."

Paris scoffed. "You just killed a manticore, Kade. You don't think you can get a little glass ball to do what you want?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Magis had spent a very boring evening sitting on a curb behind the school. Unsure when Paris and Kade would be back, he didn't want to leave, so he'd been forced to camp out there, earning odd looks from the occasional passerby. Good thing he'd arranged the bodies to look as if they were taking a quick nap.

Until they'd disappeared.

Now Magis was pacing back and forth, wondering. Were they human again? Had the Keltra caught up with them? How could they get back? Magis's imitation of a worried parent continued for quite a while until the duo re-appeared once more.

"You're back!" he gasped. "And-- you're... solid. What happened!"

Paris was surprised to see Magis looking so panicked. Could it be he was actually... _concerned?_ Even about Kade! "Um," she said, unsure where to start. "The Orb brought us... it wasn't too hard, really, just like whisking ourselves somewhere when we were ghosts. Yeah. Here it is," she handed him the Orb un-ceremoniously.

Magis took it, but barely gave it a glance. "How'd you get your bodies back? And why... why are you covered in blood?"

"Sage," growled Kade. "We have to find Sage. Now."

Paris nodded her agreement.

"Why is everyone looking for Sage!" Magis cried in exasperation. Why was _he_ asking all the questions now?

"Sage showed up and did the spell," Paris said, trying to explain as quickly as possible. "But she tricked us. She didn't want us contacting the Keltra, so after she turned us back, she sicced a manticore on us and left."

"But you escaped?" Magis said incredulously.

"We killed it." Kade said with a toss of his head. "And that won't be the last thing I'll kill tonight."

"Now we want revenge on Sage," Paris said determinedly.

"Our business with you is done," Kade turned to Magis. "You got what you wanted. We just want Sage. So unless you want to whisk us there with that ball, you can get out of here."

"Uh, sure. Sure I'll take you to her. I have to pay you back for the Orb somehow." Magis was a little taken aback by the cold-blooded rage emanating from the pair, especially Kade. "But wait. You said Sage restored your bodies. And she transported herself to the temple? Did she use anything? Like another Orb? Or anything?"

"I didn't notice anything on her," Paris shrugged.

"And the Keltra are looking for Sage..." Magis trailed off. Paris looked puzzled and Kade was looking very, very impatient. An odd expression crept over Magis's face. The expression of someone who is getting an idea and not liking it at all. "Listen," he said urgently. "I'll send you two to Sage. I have to check something. I'll meet you there."

Kade looked like he was about to protest, but Magis simply waved them both over. "Make sure you're focusing on Sage." The wizard clutched the Orb tightly, muttered something, and yet again, the pair vanished.

Paris and Kade stood on a sidewalk, staring up at some random suburban house. Paris put her hands on her knees. She was getting a little tired of being zapped from one place to another, whether it was across continents or across town. Plus she'd been running on adrenaline half the day. It was starting to take its toll on her.

"Alright?" Kade said, concerned, although Paris knew he couldn't be feeling much better.

"Fine. So I guess this is Sage's house, huh? Do we just do a battle-cry and burst in?"

"I guess so. The whole stalking and killing people thing is a little new to me."

Kade seemed to have lost some enthusiasm. For all his talk of revenge, Paris knew he wasn't cold-blooded, and she had no idea what would happen when they actually came face to face with Sage.

"So... where do your parents think you are?" she said after an awkward pause.

"Probably at your house." He shrugged. "Yours?"

"Same."

"Think they suspect we were in Greece?"

"...Probably not."

At that point, the front door burst open and a girl came out. She turned back towards the house, yelling "Come on!" to whoever was inside. Kade tensed and Paris grabbed his arm. "That's Madison."

"So what," Kade said, striding forward.

Madison, noticing the two figures, rushed out to meet them. Seeing Kade and Paris, her eyebrows lifted and she stopped short. "Get out of here," she said forcefully, eyes narrowing. "We don't have time for this."

Kade opened his mouth, but Paris beat him to it. What the hell-- Madison was always good to vent her anger on. "Make time. Your friend tried to _kill _us earlier, Madison. Understand? Do you understand that, Madison? Hell, _you_ two couldn't let a couple of ferrets go. You think we're just going to let this go?"

Madison took a couple of steps closer to Paris so that she was towering over her. Paris briefly wondered where she'd gotten the guts to do this, then decided it probably had to do with the mythical beast she'd just faced down. Madison, next to that? Small potatoes.

"I said, _get out of it, _Marsik. You can't _possibly _understand the danger Sage is in."

"Do _you?"_

Madison's expression changed slightly, then Sage came bursting out of the house. Both Paris and Kade started toward her. Madison side-stepped to block Paris, and when Paris tried to shove past her, she landed a perfect right hook to the smaller girl's head.

Just as Kade was trying to decide whether to throttle Sage, attack Madison, or go to Paris, Sage let out an ear-splitting shriek. Vaguely aware that this was the oldest trick in the book, Kade turned around anyway.

The Keltra had arrived.

They didn't stop arriving, either. First one, then half a dozen were crowded onto Sage's lawn, all silent and unmoving. Madison rushed the closest one, and almost quicker than Kade's eyes could register, the hooded figure whipped a club out of its robes and bashed Madison across the face with it. The girl disappeared faster than she could crumple to the ground.

Kade looked around wildly, shaken and completely at a loss of what to do. Sage had her eyes closed and was almost glowing-- about to perform a spell, he guessed. She opened her eyes once and met his-- almost pleadingly-- before the other hooded figures swarmed in and surrounded her. Kade was shunted to the side. He made no move to help either Sage or the Keltra-- just stood and looked on.

In a flash, Sage was encased in a transparent bubble, floating a few feet above the Keltra's heads. Her mouth was open in a silent scream and she made a violent hand gesture, perhaps the culmination of her spell. Energy burst from her body, only to ricochet off the sides and rebound on her. She slumped to the floor of the bubble as if dazed. A couple of the Keltra chuckled (one of the most horrible sounds Kade had ever heard) and seconds later, the entire company was gone.

Kade flopped down on the grass. He'd failed-- at what, he wasn't quite sure. Should they have tried to save Sage? If only so he would've gotten revenge? He wasn't sure how to feel. The Keltra had obviously kidnaped the girl for some unpleasant purpose. Should he be happy about that or not?

"Magis!" Paris exclaimed.

Great. Just who Kade wanted to see.

The wizard came sprinting over, panting and disheveled, a different person than the collected young man they'd been talking to all evening. "I saw the whole thing," he said, shaking his head. "I was too late... all this power," he indicated the Orb he held, "and it was completely, utterly worthless."

Paris looked alarmed. Kade noted that she would be sporting quite the impressive shiner for a few days. "Why... what would you have done?"

"I should've stopped them. I can't believe I was so stupid-- I didn't even realize... until you told me everything Sage could do..."

"Magis. You're not making any sense." Paris laid a hand on his shoulder and steered him over to where Kade was sitting. "Sit down and tell us what happened. What did you realize?"

"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters now..." Magis said with his head in his hands.

Kade, feeling the need to occupy himself, started attempting to brush the blood off his clothes, only to succeed in further ruining his shirt. "Still. I for one would like to know what the hell just happened."

Magis seemed to be deep in thought and didn't reply. Paris gave him another tap on the shoulder. "Magis. What happened to them? Sage and Madison, I mean."

"Sage was taken by the Keltra," he replied with a heavy sigh. "Madison... Madison is well... dead."

"Ding dong, the bitch is dead," Kade muttered under his breath. "But I'll repeat," he said, for all to hear this time, "What the flying fish just happened?"

With a shake of his head, Magis came back to the present. "It's a long story."

"We've got nothing better to do." Paris pointed out.

Kade stretched out, his head resting on his hand. It would appear he was trying to make himself comfortable. "Aha. Story time with Magis."

Magis nodded. "I guess you've got a right to know. Especially now that... well..." He took another deep breath and sat up a bit straighter. "It began... eons ago, really. Near the beginning of time."

Kade snorted. "You have to go back to the beginning of time to explain why some hooded freaks are after Sage?"

Magis looked at him evenly. "Yes."

"Okay, then." Kade said with a shrug.

"There was another dimension... I suppose you could call it an alternate dimension... The Keltra, or the hooded freaks if you prefer, lived there with the Gegma, their slaves. Keltra were magic users. As you've seen, they had awesome powers..." Another pause. Magis seemed to be thinking again.

"Psst..." Kade stage-whispered to Paris. "This is like being at the movies!"

"But without the overpriced snacks." Paris said. "I could really use some popcorn."

"We can mock the story and no one will tell us to shut up!"

"Shut up." Magis glared at them. "At some point, a Gegma managed to steal a spell book. She shared it with the others... and the Gegma began to learn magic in secret."

"But stealing is bad," Kade protested. "Are you sure the Keltra are the bad guys?"

Magis went on, trying to be oblivious to the mockery. "Eventually, their power surpassed even the Keltra. They performed a ritual: one Gegma used her powers to open a gate to the Earth dimension... The Gegma escaped to Earth and sealed the Keltra in the original dimension..."

"But not for long," suggested Paris in a dramatic narrator voice.

"...But the seal wasn't perfect. Every few centuries when the planets were aligned just so, or something like that--"

"Or something!" Kade exclaimed in feigned amazement. "I thought you were Information Guy."

Magis stopped short. It seemed the commentary was finally getting to him.

Giving the Orb a squeeze, he muttered something under his breath and twitched a finger at Kade. Kade had that look on his face that meant he had a clever response on the tip of his tongue. "Mmph —- Mm!"

Paris looked highly amused. Magis allowed himself a smirk before continuing. "That's much better."

"Mmph." Kade protested.

"So, every few centuries, the Keltra were able to break through the seal, but only for a short period of time. See, their goal was to perform the ritual in reverse and regain their domination over the weaker race. But to do that, they needed a Gegma."

"Which they couldn't get because all the Gegma were on Earth?" said Paris. Kade appeared to be trying desperately to pry his jaws open.

Magis nodded. "The Gegma were safe here. They isolated themselves for a while, but when their numbers started to dwindle, they mingled with humans. Gegma blood ran thinner and thinner; now there are few who even possess it... Understand?" This was directed mainly at Paris, as though he didn't much care whether Kade understood or not.

"Still waiting to see where this fits in with us and Sage, actually." Paris said.

Magis looked mildly embarrassed. "I guess I left out the whole point, didn't I?" He took the silencing spell off of Kade while he spoke.

"Now the Keltra have their Gegma and the world as we know it will shortly end."


	3. Read the Fine Print

A/N: Sorry for the pathetic shortness of this chapter. There was no other logical way to break it up... I'll do better next time.

"And now the Keltra have their Gegma and the world as we know it will soon end."

"Well..." Kade said, "Considering everything that's happened, I guess we shouldn't be surprised that the whole thing ends with the apocolypse."

"Not the apocolypse _exactly_," Magis said matter-of-factly. "More likely, the planet will be overrun with Keltra and we'll all suffer as their lowest slaves."

"Oh." Paris looked at him hard. "Well, are you going to sit there and tell us the gory details or we going to do something about it?"

"Like what?" The wizard returned. "Zip off to the Keltra's planet and whisk Sage right out of their clutches?"

Paris and Kade looked at each other, then back at Magis.

"No." He said in disbelief.

"Why not? I'd rather go off and risk my life than sit here and twiddle my thumbs until the world ends."

"If we go, there's at least a _possibility_ that we can stop them." Paris pointed out. "If we stay here, we have no hope."

"We have no hope anyway." Magis replied.

"Why are you being a defeatist?"

"A realist! It's impossible!" Magis glared. "Do you realize what you're talking about! The two of you, wandering into some stronghold _swarming_ with Keltra, without a weapon, without a clue, just hoping you can grab their most valuable prisoner while their backs are turned! You know what they'll do when they capture you? They'll torture you. You'll wish you'd stayed here with me."

"I'm sure it won't be pleasant when the Keltra come to Earth, either." said Paris. "It's only biting the bullet a little sooner than we would otherwise."

"Not necessarily." Magis looked at his shoes.

"Not _necessarily_?" Kade exclaimed. "What does that mean, Spell Boy? You gonna join forces with them? Get your own little cloak?"

"No," Magis said, unable to meet their eyes. "I'll make sure I'm not alive when they come."

"Suicide." Kade spluttered. "The coward's way out, Magis?" The boy flinched at Kade's use of his given name, a first. "That's pathetic. You're probably the only one on the planet that could do something... maybe slow them down a little... and you're just gonna kick the bucket. Take a nice, painless death while everyone else suffers." He shook his head in disgust. "Real admirable."

"So kill yourself. I don't care." Paris's face was stone. "Just send us over there first. We won't interfere with your plans at all."

Magis looked up in surprise. "I... I just really think you'll regret this." He said lamely.

"We'll take our chances." Kade replied coldly.

"Fine. Fine, I'll send you. And..." Magis continued haltingly, toying with the Orb in his hand. "I'll look around. Maybe there is something that will slow them down." He glanced at Paris. She didn't meet his eye.

"Do what you want," she said shortly.

Magis took a deep breath and gripped the Orb. Paris and Kade waited to be yet again flung through space, only this time farther, much farther than ever before.

"I'm getting a little tired of this..." Paris admitted, after her feet had hit solid ground and before her stomach had caught up.

"Yeah, well... This should be the last time we have to. Go in, grab Sage, get out... maybe we can even get back in time to catch the end of the game."

Paris shot her friend a Look. "Magis had a point, you know. It won't be that easy. Not by a long shot."

"You think I don't know? Paris... I'm only keeping my sanity by telling myself I'm _not_ on another planet risking my life for a girl I have no respect for. I'm trying to convince myself I'm on my couch with my XBox and a bag of Doritos. So far it's working."

Paris nodded her understanding. "Original flavor?"

"Nah. Cooler Ranch."

"Ah. Right there with you."

The banter exhausted for the moment, the rather out-of-place teenagers took a moment to survey their surroundings. No hooded figures had yet graced them with their prescence. Magis must've thought to aim for a less populated area. The sky overhead was smoky gray and looked like it had been rent in various places with a knife. The ground was yet a darker shade of gray and rolled away in all directions in a grotesque imitation of sand dunes. Not a trace of greenery could be seen. Paris could only compare the landscape to scenes from a midnight showing of _The Lord of the Rings._ She half expected to see a gleaming red eye seeking them out through the darkness.

Instead, the monotony was broken only by a small complex of buildings, actually quite unremarkable. The wall facing them was a dull off-white color and completely unadorned.

"So... how do we get in?" Kade wondered out loud.

"Look for a door?" Paris said helplessly.

"Right." Kade strode over to the blank wall, pressed himself against it, and peered around a corner. "I don't see a door there, either." He slammed a hand against the surface in frustration. "We need to get in!"

Kade found himself in a hallway. Everything here, walls, ceiling, floor, was the same shiny, metallic color. Paris, usually quick on the uptake, materialized beside him moments later.

"Y'know, I can't help thinking all this telporting makes things way too easy." Kade growled.

Paris shrugged. "I guess because the Keltra aren't so much physical?"

"Must make vacationing easy. WHOOSH! Jamaica! WHOOSH! Italy! WHOO--"

"_Ssh!_" Paris clamped a hand over Kade's mouth. She was surprised they'd managed this much without running into one of the planet's inhabitants, but here came a Keltra down the corridor, its robes all but blending with the dark-colored metal.

The pair froze, to all appearances trapped. Maybe they could melt themselves outside again, but would it really do any good?

"Kade! Start hitting things again!" Paris hissed.

"Right! C'mon, you! Open, sesame!" Kade yelped, smacking the wall compulsively.

"Not working! Try over here!" Paris shoved her friend to the other side of the corridor, perhaps with a little too much vigor.

"Oww!" Kade gasped, grabbing his nose.

"OhmiGod! I'm sorry!"

"Screw this!" Kade growled. "We need a weapon!"

Without transition, the boy found himself in a small room full of what looked like highly technological debris. "What the." Kade simply shook his head and waited... surely Paris would be here shortly. At least this spot was Keltra-free, though Kade didn't see how it got them any closer to Sage. Idly, he nudged a nearby piece of trash near his foot. It rolled a couple of inches in protest and let off a feeble glow. Now where had Kade seen something like that before...? Of course. It was probably less than an hour ago. The Keltra had stormed Sage's suburban home, armed with, in Kade's opinion, wimpy-looking glowing batons. Honestly, Kade would think enemies as menacing as the Keltra would have weapons to match their stature... something along the lines of Cloud Strife's sword. But, no. Batons. Only after he'd seen Madison take a hit from one, and blink straight out of existence as a result, had Kade been forced to admit the sticks had some potency.

But this was just a fragment, probably not good for anything. Why else would it be here, in this room that couldn't be anything other than a Keltra-style compost heap? Most of the stuff here was shiny, but useless, unless some artsy type wanted to make a collage out of it. Quite a lot of the pile seemed to be discarded weapons pieces. Probably, thought Kade, slapping the stick into his palm, why the whacked-out transport system had plopped him here. Couldn't have been an armory or anything remotely useful. Well, still... Kade had been somewhat successful in dumpster diving before. (Once he'd found a fully functioning acoustic guitar). And they really could use some weapons, so...

Back in the corridor, Paris watched her best friend vanish (where to, she couldn't imagine) only to be replaced by the wandering Keltra. Kade had always had _really_ good timing like that. Paris braced herself... she knew the Keltra couldn't physically see, but it was bound to sense that she wasn't a local. Her last experience with an angry hooded figure had not been a pleasant one, to say the least.

But wait... while last time, the atmosphere emanating from one of these beings was haunting enough to make even the bravest of souls squirm, this one simply gave off a sense of... confusion? This prompted Paris to find the guts to initiate a conversation.

"Uhm... hello?" she found herself stooping a little, as if trying to peer into the face under the Keltra's hood. Odd that she had to stoop. Was this creature a bit _smaller_ than the first they'd encountered? "Do you happen to know where they're keeping the Gegma?"

Gegma. The word seemed to hang in the air and resonate, as if the Keltra had latched onto it as the only reasonable explanation. The sense of confusion dissipated, and with it, Paris's newfound sense of courage.

Another hooded creature appeared a few lengths down the corridor, as if summoned, because it probably was. The newcomer stopped alongside the first Keltra and the two seemed to have a discussion, a discussion Paris was excluded from by the force of a mental brick wall. She found that she was not able to run, or whisk herself away, but was rooted to the spot with tension. Just like, in a past life it seemed, she could never bring herself to run from a confrontation with Madison.

Abruptly, the conversation came to a close and the hooded faces were directed to her once more. "So... about that Gegma..." Paris attempted, before she found herself encased in some sort of bubble.

Had Paris been able to think rationally through her panic, she would have remembered that Sage had been taken away in just such a bubble not long ago. Not that this thought would have reassured her in the least. The enclosure's rounded sides and five-foot diameter made it problematic to stand uip, and Paris's frame soon slumped down to the bottom. Kicking and punching the sides had no effect but to send shockwaves back through her limbs. Screaming gave her voice a delightfully echoing quality as it richocheted off the bubble's interior, but Paris got the sense that no one outside would hear a thing. And who would come to help if they did? She could only watch in dismay as the bubble, floating a good foot or so off the ground, followed the two Keltra to their distination. Paris wondered what Magis's face would look like if he knew that Kade was now the Earth's only hope.

Kade emerged about twenty earth-minutes later, carrying, alas! only one glowing baton. Just like in Blockbuster's dumpster, there were some functional items that were assigned to the trash heap through human error. Well-- perhaps that wasn't the right phrase. Nevertheless, Kade was now armed and maybe dangerous. He would've preferred two weapons, but finding the first was hard enough and the face that Paris never showed up had begun to worry him.

He took a look at the hallway he now occupied. It looked just as the first hallway they'd come across had, all dark, bland metal with no distinguishing characteristics. No Keltra and no Paris. Was it the same hallway or a different one? Kade had no idea. His utmost goal at the moment was to find Paris, to help her if she was in some sort of trouble, as the gnawing creature in the pit of his stomach kept suggesting. Forging ahead on his own to rescue Sage didn't even cross his mind. The fate of the witch, even of the world, took a backseat to that of his best friend.

Kade's surroundings changed yet again. He was getting used to this, however, and it only took him a few seconds to adjust this time. He'd been focusing on Paris so much that the Keltra's bizarre transportation system had catapulted him to her location. The location in question happened to be a rather larger room than any he'd yet seen. It was longer than it was wide and lined on one side with what were unmistakably cell blocks. Most were empty; save for one that contained what appeared to be an electric fan, but Kade knew probably was not, and one that contained Paris, who was, of all things, sawing at the bars with a nail file.

"You know," Kade began, sauntering toward that particular cell block. "When they talk about--"

The approach of two Keltra stopped Kade's quip in its tracks. Kade had failed to notice them on his first look-around, partly because of his relief on seeing Paris and partly because they blended so well with the shadowy corners of the room. Kade lost no time. Instinctively, he swung the stick at the first comer, hitting it in the gut, if Keltra can be said to have guts. Instead of doubling over, it simply blinked out of the scene, just as Madison had done. The second one hesitated, and made as if to draw its own weapon from the folds of his robes, but Kade quickly closed the distance between them and dispatched it as well.

A bit breathless, Kade turned back to Paris, who was looking impressed. "As I was saying," he said, sliding his new weapon back into his belt, "When they talk about prisoners escaping with files? That's not what they mean."

In response, Paris playfully chucked said nail file at him. "Thank you, knight in shining armor. Now let's see if we can find Sage."

"One thing at a time." Kade stepped up to the bars and cast his eyes around for the lock mechanism. "Y'know, I always figured it would be you busting me out of jail... There's no door here. How did they get you inside?"

Getting Paris out a doorless cell, however, was a problem Kade wouldn't have to worry about for a long time. The pair now found themselves sans bars, back on a suburban lawn, although not the same one they'd departed from. Magis and his orb awaited them, a book under his arm and the manic glint back in his eye.

"What the hell do you think you're _doing?_!" Kade exploded. "You didn't mention a time limit! We were on the right track! We could've _done_ something and we weren't ready to cry 'uncle'! What's the matter," and here Kade's hand began to stray dangerously close to the wand at his belt, "you couldn't find the balls to kill youself, you worthless son--"

"Kade!" Paris interupted, inserting herself between her friend and the boy-wizard. "Hang on. Maybe Magis has a good reason." _He'd better, _her eyes added to the blonde boy.

"He does." Magis assured her. Indicating the tome he now carried, he explained, "I found a better way."

Kade opened his mouth, then shut it, deciding that whatever comeback he had wasn't worth another silencing spell.

"There was another magical object involved in the Gegmas' ritual," Magis said, starting to pace a bit. "They called it the Key. Sage isn't quite enough: The Keltra also need the Key if they want to destroy the seal."

"Where is the Key now?" Paris asked.

"When the Gegma came to Earth, the Key was split into pieces and scattered. A precaution... I guess they wanted to be prepared for something like this."

"So now we're supposed to get the Key...?" Kade hazarded a guess.

"If we can beat the Keltra to some of the Key pieces, they'll be stuck. It won't be easy, but the odds are better than trying to capture Sage."

"Alright." Kade sighed. He'd obviously resigned himself to being some kind of supernatural errand boy. "Where are we going now?"

"It's not so much where..." Magis said slowly. "It's more a question of when."

"What do you mean?" Paris asked.

"These keys were hidden centuries ago. There's no telling what may have become of them now... their hiding place could have caved in on them for all we know. You're better off going straight to the source."

"Wait, '_we_'?" Paris broke in. "What about you?"

"It's better for me to stay here and look for more information." Magis returned. He was met with silence. "Well, what if I'd gone with you to the Keltra dimension? We never would've found out about the Key."

"Where _are_ you finding this information, anyway?" Paris wondered, trying to get a better look at the book under his arm.

"When we have more time, I'll show you." Magis promised.

Kade shrugged. "So we're going back in time?"

"About two thousand years."

He nodded.

"You seem to be taking this rather well."

"I'm beyond the point of being surprised." Kade sighed.

"The natives should be able to help you," Magis said by way of encouragement. "...If you can convince them you're on the right side, of course... But listen, try to blend in. I'll help you with that, but don't act like you're from two thousand years in the future. Magic was more commonplace back then, but still, that's a little hard to swallow."

"Fair enough." Paris was now despairing of getting home in time to finish her history homework.

"So you never answered my question." Kade protested. "Where are we going?"

"Well... I'm not sure how many Key pieces there are, or where they all are. That's one of the things I'm going to try to research. But I figured out that one of them is definitely in Egypt."

"Excellent." Kade muttered. "Just call me Brendan Fraser."


End file.
